Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Oh yes I did! And I'm so excited! Crème Brulee is my absolute most favorite dessert ever. I scour the dessert menu at every restaurant hoping that it will be there. But now I can make it at home---in my most favorite kitchen appliance----without spending $40 on dinner first.

Valentine's Day is around the corner; surprise your loved one with a gourmet dessert that tastes like a million bucks.

The Ingredients:

--2 cups heavy cream

--5 egg yolks

--1/2 cup sugar (baker's or fine sugar is better so the granules disappear)

--1 T good vanilla

--1/4 cup raw sugar (for topping, add later)

The Directions:

Find a heat-resistant dish that fits inside of your stoneware insert. Fit it in, and using a cup or pitcher, pour water around the edges so there is water 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up the sides of the dish. Push it down with your hand if it starts to float up. Take the dish back out. If you have separate dessert ramekins, do the same thing after nestling them all inside.

--whip the 5 egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl

--slowly add the cream and baking sugar while mixing

--add the vanilla

pour mixture into the dish and carefully lower into the stoneware without sloshing water into the dish.

Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours. If you are using little ramekins, check after an hour; I'm not sure how long they will take. Custard should be set with the center still a bit jiggly. Touch lightly with your finger to check. Unlike an oven, it will be difficult to overcook this. Try not to worry.

I cooked the one above for 4.25 hours on high.

VERY carefully (use oven gloves!) remove dish and let cool completely on counter, then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of raw sugar evenly over the top of the custard. Move your oven rack to the top rung and broil for 3-10 minutes, checking often. The sugar will boil and brown.

I will HAVE to try this one. Except no way am I going to put it under the broiler to melt the sugar--I live for any excuse to pull out my little hand flame and torch away :)! Guess that's the pyro in me!

Oh that sounds amazing! Mine was busy all day today with a roast of beef and is doing duty all day again tomorrow with beef barley soup. I can't wait! I've got the 12 grain sourdough loaf at the ready.

Where do I even begin... I am so in love with this! It was so easy to make, and it is to DIE FOR. Don't slip broiling the sugar (and raw sugar makes a difference) because it really makes it. Thank you for another great recipe!

I have done this with regular custard for a long time. 2 cups skim milk, 3 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1/3 cup of sugar. I sprinkle nutmeg on top before baking. I put it in a quart bowl, with water in the crock, and cover it with foil. I use canning jar rings to keep it up off the bottom. It takes about 2 hours on high. More recently, I've had a nonstick double boiler thing that I put on top with the custard in, and put the crockpot lid on the double boiler. It is nordic ware, and it works great. Wouldn't be good with little kids in the house, though for this, it gets hot.

Hi! I made this for my parents' anniversary a little while ago. Well, I couldn't find a baking dish to fit my 4-qt oval crock, so I baked it in the oven (I know, shame!). But! I used your recipe - halving vanilla because mine is from Madagascar and apparently very strong - and it turned out AMAZING. I had much better luck with a hand-held torch than my broiler (I think because my apartment broiler doesn't actually broil, but bake....).

Also, I talked about it so much to my coworkers, my course coordinator/boss asked me for the recipe to make for her family!

My husband has a similar love for creme brulee, and yesterday was my first time attempting to make it, using THIS recipe. He LOVED it! I can't believe how easy and tasty this was! Thank you SOOOO much!

I got your book as a gift, and I immediately sat down and marked all the recipes I HAD to make right away. There were a LOT. :)

This worked perfectly! I used little ramekins, and it took an hour and 45 minutes, just as a previous poster said. Thanks so much for sharing! I've loved all of your recipes so far...and I've tried a few! Ha, ha. http://myjourneyasablog.blogspot.com/2010/09/crock-pot-crazy.html

you are my new best friend on the internet. First I find your blog (2 years after you started-grad school had me searching for academic articles for way to long!) looking for a 20 garlic chicken recipe, and now I find creme brulee! I am loving the site and plan on checking in daily from now on! Thank you!

This stuff is ADDICTING! Oh, man...I never should have tried it. I think I may like it even better than chocolate, and that is saying something.

Oh, and I didn't try it, but it occurs to me that my little heat tool for melting embossing powder might be a tad easier to use than the propane torch my brother-in-law pulled out to melt the sugar on top, lol.

It was so yummy thanks for the recipe. I had a little problem though. The condensation dripped into my brule and made it a little "juicy" around the edges. I just wicked it away with a paper towel. Still delicious, just wondering if you or any of the readers have a solution or have run into this problem. More of a cosmetic detail vs. a taste thing. Thanks for the recipe. Your book is seriously rocking my world! THANK YOU!

Oh my gooooodness! I realize you posted this MIRACLE of a recipe 4 years ago!! BUT ... i am absolutely insanely excited to try this! I also frantically search for creme brulee at every restaurant i visit...and THIS, im sure will blow my mind-socks!! And the slow-cooker is my absolute favorite appliance!! I CANT WAIT

That is too funny! I saw the picture for Creme Brulee and said out loud "Oh no you didn't!" (All my children looked at me funny because I was sitting in the middle of my kitchen talking to my computer.) Then scrolled down to read your first words. "Oh, yes I did" I cracked up! Great minds....I am trying this ASAP! THANKS a billion! Pamela at www.HomeShalom.blogspot.com

p.s. I don't know if anyone mentioned this in your comments or not - but do you know how they get that crispy crust in resturants? They use a blow torch and just run it alone the top instead of putting it in the oven...at least they did in the resturant I worked in San Francisco. :-)

Add me to your list of estactic samplers! I made this in individual ramekins for my husband on Valentine's Day. I've made creme brulee before, but not like this (in his word)....perfection! The biggest problem I had with the brulees? Not large enough ramekins, and the ramekins were hard to put in and lift out. I'll add that the timing for the individual ramekins, is spot on at 1 hr. 45 min., because they thicken a bit in the refrigerator. I'm buying new ramekins for these worthy creme brulees. Merci beaucoup!!!